Islamic Republic of Persia
Persia, or the Islamic Republic of Persia, is a large country which occupies much of the region on Earth known as the Middle East. The Republic was one of the first countries to establish a colony on Marset when that planet was opened for colonisation in 2267. Since then the colony of Graceful Blessing (برکت برازنده) has grown into a thriving community History The Republic traces its history back over ten and a half thousand years to some of the earliest civilisations in the world. It claims ancient Akkadia, Assyria, Babylon, the Persian Empire and Sumer as its predecessors, and many scholars point to the region as being the birthplace of many modern concepts such as urban centres, writing, and religion. 22nd Century The modern Republic has its own roots in the devestation of the Third World War. The nuclear exchange of 2116 destroyed most of the major cities in the Middle East, including the capitals of Iraq, Jordan, the Lebanon and Syria. Iran to the East was only moderately effected by the initial exchange but was soon swamped with refugees from both the West and the remains of Pakistan to the South East. Initially Tehran attempted to aid these refugees by setting up camps along the borders but within days these were being swamped. Many of the camps quickly broke down into anarchy with aid workers been killed and many refugees trying to make their way to the major cities. In one incident an Army patrol was ambushed as it made its way to a rioting camp and fifty soldiers killed, their weapons been used by their attackers to gain control of the camp. Eventually Tehran decided to seal the borders and eject as many refugees as possible. Word of these plan eventually reached a large group of refugees gathering at the town of Amarah, close to the Iran-Iraq border. This group, numbering over fifty thousand decided to make a break for the border and try to force their way into Iran, hoping to dissappear into the countryside. As this group headed towards the border the local military commander panicked and ordered an airstrike by the IRIAF. Eighteen fighter-bombers, armed with cluster munitions, fuel-air explosives, and rockets struck at the refugees as they gathered outside Amarah. Over half of the refugees were killed and the rest fled back into Iraq. When Tehran learnt of this attack they initially ordered the arrest of the commander as well as the pilots who carried out the attack. Several hours later, however, the government learnt that the surviving refugees were fleeing south and west - towards Saudi Arabia. Realising that this tactic, although brutal, was efficient, Tehran ordered further strikes against refugee groups inside Iraq. The commander who had ordered the initial strike was only punished for failing to follow the correct chain of command and sentenced to two years in prison, being paroled eight months later. Government In the years since the Age of Chaos both Iran, and later the Republic, have experimented with several forms of government. The current system is based on a mix of the pre- and post-revolution systems used by Iran in the 20th and 21st century. The current government in Tehran is, technically, a unicameral Parliment with the 410 members been voted for via universal sufferage every four years, the constitution only allows a member to serve a maximum of two terms in office unless they are a senior minister in either the ruling party or the main opposition party, in which case a member can remain in office for a maximum of four terms. The electorate also directly vote for the head of state, the President who may or may not be a member of parliment. The President may only serve a single four year term in office unless Parliment declares a state of emergency which would suspend the election process and allow a president to serve for an maximum of an additional two years. The Republic also has a second branch of government known as the Guardian Council. This body has twenty four members half of whom are elected by the people and half of whom are selected by the parliment. This body is composed of both legal experts (usually senior judges) and members of both major branches of Islam. The Councils role is to study any laws been discussed by Parliment and decided wether or not they abide by Islamic standards. The Council can propose amendments to any bill which would otherwise be judge unIslamic. In theory Parliment does not need any bills to be approved by the Council but in practice any law passed without Coucil approval would face regular opposition from the courts. Despite the presence of the Guardian Council the Republic has a purely secular constitution, the Imans are there to guide and advise the government, not lead it or command it. Demographics The Republic is a diverse country made up of over fifty recognised ethnic groups. The dominant groups (both socially and politically) are ethnic Persians (47%) and Arabs (32.5%). Other groups include Afghans, Azerbajani, Kurds, Druze Christians, Turkmen, and Armenians. There remains a tiny Jewish community in the West of the country. As of 2401 these numbered just over 3'800 in total. As indicated by the name, Islam is the dominant religion in the Republic, with more than 93% of the population being followers of that faith. The largest denomination is Sunni with 55% of the total, followed by Shia at 42%. Ecomony Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry Vast swathes of the Republic's territory are either desert or mountainous regions, generally unsuitable for agriculture but in some places suitable for grazing. Despite this agriculture is responsible for 28.5% of the countries GDP and the Republic is self sufficient in most staples. Nearly 22% of the population are employed in farming or other agricultural industries. Most of the nations food is produced along the valleys of the Jordan and Tigris/Euphrates rivers and along the coastal regions. Large scale desalination and irrigation projects along the Arabia Gulf shore have also resulted in large areas of arable land been produced. The main crops grown are wheat, barley, olives, potatos, and figs. Cash crops include cotton, citrus fruits, pomegranate, and tobacco. Recently several hundred Cornapple saplings have been imported from Ciamverde and planted on state-owned farms along the Tigris valley and it is hoped that this crop will be a success. Fishing is a major industry in the South of the country with the fishing fleet operating far out into the Indian Ocean. Mining The Republic has substantial deposits of copper, gypsum, phosphates, potash, and magnesium ore. Most of the mining industry is state controlled with only around twenty percent in private hands Industry and Manufacturing The Persian Republic is a major producer and exporter of consumer electronics - in particular home computers, memory sticks and data slates. Other household appliances, including kitchenware, are also produced for export. Persia is a major exporter of armaments, the state run arms factories produce a number of small arms and light artillery pieces. Several models of armoured vehicles are also exported, particularly to sub-Saharan Africa. Another major source of export goods are so-called "cottage industries" such as texile production and ceramics. Persian rugs remain a popular and much sought after item across the globe. In recent years Damascus has become a major centre for jewellery production, the main export customers being India and South Africa. Energy Persia is self sufficent in it's energy needs, and even exports surplus energy to India and the R-USSR. The bulk of its energy needs are met by a number of fusion reactors. The Republic favours the Soviet style of reactor placement with small number of facilities each with multiple reactors. The fusion plants are supplemented by many large solar and wind power plants and a smaller number of hydro-electric facilities along the major rivers. Both the Caspian and Mediterrenean Seas are the location of large off-shore wind farms, the largest, in the Caspian Sea, has over two hundred turbines and has a nameplate capacity of over 1100mW Persia also has some remaining reserves of natural gas and oil although these are not currently being exploited to any large scale. Biofuels are produced in small quantities from both vegetable oils and bacteria, mostly for domestic consumption. Transport There are over 350'000km of paved roads in the Republic, including over 150'000km of major highway. There are over four hundred privately owned vehicles per thousand adults in the country, more than 70% of which are either small, electric powered, city cars or scooters. Most intercity journeys (both passenger and freight) are carried out on the country's highly evolved rail network which possesses over 250'000km of track (more than the United States). The five largest cities are connected via a dedicated high speed passenger rail network, trains on these route regularly exceed 310km/h. Military Aeropace Force The IRP Space Fleet is geared towards protecting the nations colony on Marset as well as the many small outposts scattered across the Sol System as well as escorting cargo ships loaded with valuable minerals and ores. To this end Tehran has purchased at least twelve Riga-class frigates from the R-USSR along with five squadrons worth of MiG-223 and two squadrons of MiG-231 multi-role fighters. Since 2399 the Space Fleet has been studying the possibility of purchasing one or more bulk freighters for conversion into escort carriers but so far the funding has been unavailable. Army Defence of the Republics borders rests with the large Army (Persian ارتش, Artesh). As of 2402 the Army has a standing strength of 450'000 plus a similar number of reservists. Around 58% of the Army is made up of conscripts who serve for between 12 and 18 months depending on which branch they serve in, the remainder are long term volunteers. The bulk of the Army is deployed in one hundred and twenty eight local defence regiments, each with a strength of around 18'000 men, these are mostly light infantry with limited armour or heavy weapons trained and equipped to man pre-prepared defensive positions against outside opponents. Backing up these local defence regiments are four armoured and three mechanised divisions equipped with heavy tanks, AIFVs, mobile artillery and air defence assets. Three more mechanised divsions are tasked with defending the capital. The Republics rapid response force consists of two Airborne brigades and three light brigades, one of which is equipped as an air mobile force. The Republic is known to field a number of special forces units, rumoured to have over three thousand members between them. Navy The Republic has three long coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. To protect these shores the Persian Navy operates a large fleet of small warships ranging in size from over seventy 120-ton missile attack boats to eight examples of the 3'410-ton Thaqeb (Saturn) class of frigate. The Navy also controls over thirty maritime patrol aircraft and nearly eighty helicopters and tilt-rotors. The Islamic Republic Marine Corps has five battalions plus a special forces detachment of around 250 troops. Category:Nations